If I wanted to be a social media influencer, I'd be on Instagram / OnlyFans.
If i wanted to spend my time "an entrepreneur with superpowers to convert the community into backers", I would be running a company / start up doing sales.
I wish to write code.
Some of that code is open source.
Some of it I write because someone pays me to do so.
I dont have to do any sales and that is fantastic.
So far nobody has given me money for my open-source code and that is fine.
I write my open-source tools because I admire those who came before me and
all they have contributed to the world.
It is a civic duty.
They gave us operating systems, compilers, databases, libraries.
When someone creates a new thing and its 90% derived from free tools
with a bit of code sauce / UI on top it, call it open source and then run around wanting to get paid for it they are in the wrong pasture.
If you are wanting to make billions of dollars and you create some form of
"open source" system but you get angry if someone uses it and does make
money from it, you are in the wrong pasture.
Contemplate Linux, (Open)*BSD, GNU tools, Postgres and everything open source
you use to make your product and none of which you have paid for.
Imagine if Theo had $1 for every OpenBSD install. (I love OpenBSD)
Id owe him at least a few hundred dollars.
On aggregate he would be at least a millionaire.
For people who do want to inject money into open source that is great.
Dont pick me.
Pick projects that are vital in the stack and who are underfunded.
Intent here is not for each commit across all of OSS to be paid for. Or that every maintainer has to charge for add-on services.
Polar is designed for maintainers who either 1) spend an enormous amount of time in effectively unpaid support already or 2) want tooling to run an independent business around their OSS initiatives.
It’s not designed for everyone and you opt-in to use it (as maintainers, contributors or backers).
To me that’s the core trait of OSS: Freedom. Today, I don’t think maintainers have that freedom to easily pursue an independent business or get paid for support towards businesses without an insane amount of unnecessary overhead. That’s what we aim to change for those who seek it.
If I wanted to be a social media influencer, I'd be on Instagram / OnlyFans.
If i wanted to spend my time "an entrepreneur with superpowers to convert the community into backers", I would be running a company / start up doing sales.
I wish to write code.
Some of that code is open source. Some of it I write because someone pays me to do so.
I dont have to do any sales and that is fantastic.
So far nobody has given me money for my open-source code and that is fine.
I write my open-source tools because I admire those who came before me and all they have contributed to the world. It is a civic duty.
They gave us operating systems, compilers, databases, libraries.
When someone creates a new thing and its 90% derived from free tools with a bit of code sauce / UI on top it, call it open source and then run around wanting to get paid for it they are in the wrong pasture.
If you are wanting to make billions of dollars and you create some form of "open source" system but you get angry if someone uses it and does make money from it, you are in the wrong pasture.
Contemplate Linux, (Open)*BSD, GNU tools, Postgres and everything open source you use to make your product and none of which you have paid for. Imagine if Theo had $1 for every OpenBSD install. (I love OpenBSD) Id owe him at least a few hundred dollars. On aggregate he would be at least a millionaire.
For people who do want to inject money into open source that is great. Dont pick me.
Pick projects that are vital in the stack and who are underfunded.